My heart bleeds as I write; I can�t help but ask how did we get into this sorry mess? How did we sink this low? Where and how did we lose it as a people and as a nation?
These days, we need excuses to do nothing.
One of my secret fantasies, let me divulge it this morning, is to fly to Europe or the United State of America (USA) someday and see Goil gas stations along the road, Neat fufu at the supermarkets, Agbeve Tonic at a pharmacy shop and Apostle Kodjo Sarfo�s car on the runway.
Laugh at me if you like, but so did the world laugh at the Japanese when they started copying American technology.
Made-in-Japan used to be a butt of jokes � just as we laugh at Made-in-Taiwan today � but you can imagine how Japanese cars and electronics
later went on to dominate the world. Who says Ghanaians cannot do it?
We can do it, if only we stop backbiting each other and selling our conscience for pittance. I am not a happy man today, not because I don�t have faith in my heritage, but a video clip I watched that is purported to expose corruption in our land, is nothing worth viewing.
I am equally not happy with the author of that investigative piece; it was shabbily and lazily done. Samuel Agyeman of Metro TV and one-time journalist of the year, who was expected to raise the bar, as far as the ethics of the profession is concerned, have rather thrown it to the dogs.
We all have a gift; you cannot try to be what you are not. This young man is not noted for doing anything meaningful behind the camera. He decided to try something that he is not good at and has ended up exposing himself.
His only consolation is that he has thrown a bone to the opposition element, who are ready to devour it, with all the hail Mary of government been corrupt.
The first thing everybody learns in journalism is to give each party in a story the opportunity to be heard. You don�t write your own script and mark it. You form your own court and start sentencing people without giving them a fair trial. That is what unfortunately Samuel Agyeman engaged in.
Since the beginning of the year, two of our foremost indigenous companies that we ought to protect, have been vilified and accused of doing one wrong thing or another, without any evidence.
RLg and Jospong Group of Companies, owners of Zoomlion, have been told more than once to fold and ask their workers to go home, because the only people who have the right to own multi-million Dollar companies in this country are foreigners. Why are we interested in defending and protecting foreign businesses at the detriment of local enterprises?
It is funny, but what is wrong if we have made in Ghana Rice in fanciful packs displayed on the shelves at Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda and Waitrose stores in Britain plus Wal-Mart and Target stores in United States.
Ghana Integrity International (GII), a subsidiary of Transparency International is also another one huge joke. Vitus Azeem has also become a serial caller or radio commentator. The West are the most corrupt among the lot, yet they have the stooges like GII, who have nothing to do with their time, than to wait for media reports or publications, which are most often politically motivated or intended to tarnish the image and hard earned reputation of individuals and organizations.
If Vitus Azeem and his outfit are serious about fighting corruption, they should also go behind the media reports and so-called perception index to find out the truth or otherwise of those reports, by interviewing all the interested parties in the allegation.
The hasty conclusions that they often draw just to satisfy their paymasters or be in the news is a wrong approach to helping the fight against corruption.
If I may ask, how is he paid? Because the last time I checked the GII is not a profit oriented institution.
The lazy approach of pretending to fight corruption is not the best approach of helping to eliminate this canker, which is threatening our survival.
It has now come out that the money is not even GH�144, 000,000.00 as initially reported and captured in the documentary, yet people have already formed their opinions. Vitus Azeem must do a little more than only waiting to be called on radio or on TV to give his opinion on a matter of corruption. If he had done his homework, he will also have realized that Subah was not paid that much.
Kweku Sekyi Addo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ghana Chamber of Telecom, was another person who surprised me the most.
It is now emerging that the Telecos, have resisted the installation of �props� into the systems, to enable government or if you may in this case Subah Infosolution to be able to determine the right amount of taxes they were to pay.
Your guess, as to the reason why they are putting up a resistance, is as good as mine.
Let us assume without admitting that Subah was wrongfully paid for no work done, between Subah, which is a Ghanaian own company and the various Telecos, which of the two deserve our money?
Kweku Sekyi Addo, should be patriotic enough to impress upon the Telecos, to allow for the installation of �props� into their system, so that the country can get the right amount of money due it.
The recently amended law mandates the government to electronically monitor the call traffic of various telecom companies, so that the right tax is paid. In their refusal to allow the installation of �props�, are they not the ones engaged in fraud?
Is Kweku Sekyi Addo, not curious to find out how the Ghana Revenue Authourity (GRA) is able to bill the telecos, since 2010?
The telecos were also paying without asking questions, isn�t it interesting. Please stop belittling our intelligence.
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